Text Size

BREAKING OVERNIGHT — BART workers strike: The Bay Area transit system is closed this morning after management couldn’t reach a deal with two unions representing nearly 2,400 operators, station agents and mechanics. A last-minute negotiating session broke apart Sunday evening and the strike kicked in at 3 a.m. for us East Coasters, with a picket line at the Lake Merritt station forming minutes afterwards. The strike — involving SEIU Local 1021 and ATU Local 1555 — is the first for BART since 1997. Getting around San Francisco and Oakland today will be pretty hairy: There are roughly 400,000 BART trips on the average weekday. On the bright side, that’s only 5 percent of the region’s travel, so things could definitely be worse. The Chronicle has the story: http://bit.ly/19N6oBZ And KQED has more: http://bit.ly/11XDyGq

OUT TODAY — IG looks at TSA’s private screening program: John Mica isn’t letting up on his quest to privatize and downsize the TSA. Today he’ll roll out a DHS IG report that looks at the Screening Partnership Program that lets qualified firms replace TSA agents at airports that want it. Mica, who might be auditioning for the Oversight chairmanship in the 114th, told MT the report goes into “how TSA cooked the books on trying to add costs so it makes the private screening partnerships look like they’re more costly or as costly as TSA — which no way they are.” Last month, Mica got an extra $31 million for the program through an amendment to the DHS funding bill.

OREGON — FIRST TO DITCH THE GAS TAX? Oregon is close to passing a law that will charge motorists for their mileage driven rather than the amount of gasoline consumed, setting it on course to become the first state to implement a measure critics fear could put Big Brother in every car. Lawmakers in the state are expected to vote this week on instituting a VMT fee, which advocates hope may ultimately be adopted by Congress to help replace dwindling revenue from the federal gas tax to fund the nation’s highways. But first, they have to persuade Americans to accept a new intrusion. Backers hope the system will do more than measure just miles: Ideally, it could track a vehicle’s location, so drivers won’t pay the tax when they leave the state, among other things. Kevin has the story: http://politico.pro/1cFDIqN

Not making news: Outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood doesn’t want to cause the VMT fuss he did way back in 2009. He’s said that “people in the communities are going to persuade their members of Congress” that they want higher taxes or a VMT for infrastructure (http://bit.ly/19MgN0R), but when MT asked about it after his farewell address last week, the secretary said only that “funding for infrastructure has always been a national issue and will continue to be a national issue.” MT asked again, hoping the second time’s a charm, but LaHood politely demurred: “I think that I probably shouldn’t say any more about it because that’ll be your headline,” he said.

But talking about the news: LaHood said not passing an immigration bill “is going to be the death knell for Republicans winning national elections for decades.” Read more in his exit interview with The Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1cFVAlj

WHAT ABOUT THE NEW GUY? Anthony Foxx will officially resign as Charlotte mayor today and will likely be sworn into the DOT job in the coming days. Herald: http://bit.ly/1cGhXHv

THIS JULY STARTS WITH A MONDAY. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes and automobiles. The last Ford Thunderbird rolled off the line in Wixom, Mich., eight years ago today (http://bit.ly/159SkxW). Please be in touch: asnider@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @AdamKSnider.

** A message from POWERJobs: New jobs on our radar this week: Logistics Technician, Aircraft/Transportation Management Support Job at CACI, Federal CBP Component Lead at Accenture and Senior Professional: Electronics Engineer at Computer Sciences Corporation. Apply to these positions at POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU! **

T&I TIMELINES SHAPE UP: We’ve long known the House Transportation Committee had to tackle a water bill before turning attention to an Amtrak measure later this year. But now we have a rough timeline: Chairman Bill Shuster says we could see WRDA in July but the rail bill won’t be until September. Both bring their own set of challenges for the ambitious chairman. The water bill is the first in the post-earmark era — and the last one, in 2007, was so long ago that many current members have never dealt with it. On Amtrak, Shuster and Jeff Denham are stuck between Democrats calling for a major funding boost and some Republicans who want to simply eliminate the passenger railroad. Shuster said WRDA has some “scheduling issues we’re trying to work through with leadership” but that “we’re getting close to being ready to go — it’s just a matter of us talking to leadership.” Top Dems Nick Rahall and Tim Bishop both told MT that a markup could come in the first two weeks after members are back from recess, though Shuster wouldn’t commit to that. Your host brings Pros the story: http://politico.pro/118YpvB

FOXX FOR THE RECORD: Streetsblog got its hands on the written answers soon-to-be Secretary Anthony Foxx gave Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz. Give it a look: http://bit.ly/19MoBje

SHA-KAM: There’s a new grass-roots campaign in town: Keep America Moving (KAM), led by the American Highway Users Alliance, aims to “organize local leaders throughout the country to influence their elected officials in favor of federal investment in America’s highways and bridges.” How will they do it? “... by providing key facts, issue alerts and calls-to-action that establish the urgency of the revenue shortfall facing the Highway Trust Fund. The campaign will provide local leaders with information on area highway projects that could be threatened if Congress doesn’t act quickly. ...” MT fully expects to hear a few more voices in the infrastructure choir as we get closer to next year’s bill.

REPORTER CAMP — NTSB briefs media on 17-year-old TWA 800 investigation: The NTSB will hold a briefing tomorrow to review its four-year investigation of the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 that killed more than 200 people. The briefing comes amid a media splash (http://bit.ly/11T7Z47) surrounding a documentary filmmaker who claims to have “solid proof” of an “external detonation.” The NTSB ruled at the time that faulty wiring led to an explosion of the plane’s fuel tank, but some people offer theories to this day that a missile or other explosive device shot down the plane. The NTSB advisory acknowledges a petition to reopen the case, which is under review, but the agency says it’s just trying to make sure reporters know the facts of the investigation: “Since the accident occurred 17 years ago, many who are now covering the petition filing are less familiar with the details and findings of the NTSB’s four-year investigation. This is why the NTSB is offering the background briefing on the TWA Flight 800 report.”

BOXER KNOCKS THEM OUT: Interesting results from the last MT poll, where a 34 percent plurality of MT readers say EPW Chairwoman Barbara Boxer will take the lead on funding next year’s surface bill. Jim Inhofe got 21 percent — but so did “too late — states have already taken the lead.” Eleven percent think Bill Shuster comes out with a plan first, and only 7 percent think the president will.

NEW MT POLL — Mode war: There’s a lot of transportation modes — water, rails and roads — competing for Congress’s attention this year and next. What actually gets done? Do WRDA, the Amtrak bill, DOT appropriations and next year’s highway/transit measure actually get passed and signed into law? Optimists fear not — you can vote for all of them. Just do it before Sunday at noon: http://bit.ly/12fj4sz

- Ford recalls just over 13,000 vehicles due to problems with child safety locks on the rear doors. Reuters: http://reut.rs/124RrBw

- Op-ed: “Fear and misunderstanding of unmanned aircraft is spreading rapidly, and it is not just at the fringes of society.” Forbes: http://onforb.es/12fsIvf

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 92 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 460 days and FAA policy in 822 days. The mid-term elections are in 491 days.

CABOOSE — Jet bicycle: Don’t try this at home, kids. But you can live vicariously through this video of a jet-powered bicycle that goes 50 mph. Wash Cycle: http://bit.ly/15WFOyW (h/t Bob King)

** A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including Aquilent, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The American Institutes of Architects and Hickory Ground Solutions. Powered by names you trust — POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio — POWERJobs is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent. **